if he had not suffered, we should have had no promife of pardon; if we had no promises, we fhould have no hope; if we have no hope, we fhall have no faving faith in the mercy of God. Chrift is fet forth a refuge for finners, he faves all who flee for refuge to the hope fet before them; but those only who believe in him, flee to him. Faith then is an inftrument of salvation; "by grace are ye faved through Faith."

The finner hears, and gives credence to the Faith of God: the terrors of the Almighty take faft hold upon him; his fins weigh him down to the duft but hark! the voice of heavenly love is heard proclaiming: "Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden, and I will

give you reft." He looks upward, Hope springs up, he ventures on the Redeemer, "who juftifies the ungodly;" his faith has faved him. It is counted to him for righteousness, and being justified by it, he has peace with God, through our Lord Jefus Chrift.

A celebrated divine once gave his little child an illustration of the nature of Faith in the following manner. The child had a beautiful string of beads, with which fhe was much delighted. Her father spoke to her, faying, "Come, my child, throw thofe beautiful beads into the fire, and I will, in the course of a few days, give you fomething far more beautiful and valuable." The child looked up into the face of her father with aftonishment: after looking for a time, and feeing he was in earnest, she caft her beautiful toys

into the fire, and then burst into tears!-Here was Faith. The child believed her father spoke the truth; fhe expected, or had a hope, he would fulfil his promises; and confiding in his Love she was willing to obey him, though it coft her tears.

"And an highway fhall be there, and a way, and it fhall be called the way of holinefs; the unclean fhall not pass over it." -ISA. XXXV. 8.

THE WAY OF HOLINESS.

There is a place, a Holy place above,
Where Angels holy dwell in light and love:
There is a God, a Holy God who reigns,
And holy empire over all maintains;
There is a way, a holy way, whose road
The holy Pilgrim brings to heaven and God:
See! on that way the holy Pilgrim hies,
Nor doubts at laft 'twill lead him to the skies.
With robes entire, and garments clean and white,
He walks with joy along the plains of light.
See! one has left the holy way divine,

His clothes are foiled, he wallows now with fwine;
Alone, the Pilgrim on his pathway speeds,

And leaves th' apoftate to his worldly deeds.

SEE where the way of Holiness stands caft up. It is ftrongly built and confpicuous to all be

holders; a pilgrim is feen walking thereon triumphantly and secure; his garments are unsullied and untorn. Down off the way is one wallowing in the mire; fee how he grubs up the filthy lucre. His garments are rent, and foiled; the beastly swine are his chofen companions.

This is an emblem of Holiness, and of its profeffors. The upright conduct of the pious is called, a "way," a "highway," and "The way of Holiness." It is a way of fafety, "No lion fhall be there," and "the wayfaring man, though a fool, [illiterate] fhall not err therein." The Pilgrim pursuing his journey, with his garments unfullied and untorn, denotes the Chriftian "walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless." "The fine linen, clean and white, is the righteousness of the faints." The man among the fwine, fignifies an Apoftate from God and Holinefs; he has "left off to do good;" the love of the world has again taken poffeffion of him; "he has turned as the dog to his vomit again, and as the fow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire."

Holiness in man confifts in obedience to the divine commands-in loving God fupremely-in loving our neighbour as ourselves. Man, by nature and by practice, is finful, and fin is fuperlatively selfish. A felfishness pervades the heart, which is enmity against God. It is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be, confequently the love of God dwelleth not in the selfish heart.

Selfishness is the prolific fource of every vice; giving birth to oppreffion, falfehood, injuftice, and covetoufnefs; producing outbreaks of the bafeft paffions, fuch as envy, wrath, malice, pride, revenge, which end in crimes of deepeft guilt.

On the other hand, Holinefs is boundleffly benevolent; it embraces God, it embraces the world. It gives to God the fincere worship of an undivided heart.

It gives to man the generous activities of a ufeful life. The man of holiness is the almoner of a world. The Law of Jehovah is the proper ftandard of holinefs; the Almighty himself the only proper model for study and imitation; therefore, of the man of Holinefs it is faid, "The law of God is in his heart, none of his steps fhall flide." And hence it is written, "Be ye holy, for I am holy." Hence we may learn that the fubject is one of great importance, fince whatever we may poffefs befides, without holiness no one fhall fee the Lord; it is the wedding garment which renders the guest welcome at the marriage-fupper of the Lamb; it is the fine linen, clean and white, which is the righteoufnefs of the faints. Thus it fignifies a preparation for eternal glory.

;

Holiness and happiness are divine fifters twins, always feen together. God has stamped the feal of his approbation on everything approaching to innocence and purity; it is feen in nature-the roar of the lion, the fierce howling